The Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island chapters of the Libertarian Party pulled together to get a record eight candidates on the ballot as Libertarians for various local offices throughout the nation’s largest city this November, reported LPNY Chair Mark Axinn. This represents the most LP candidates that have ever run for local office during a single New York City election.
The LP does not have ballot status in New York, so it was necessary for every candidate to submit independent petition signatures — ranging from 3,750 signatures each to run for the mayor, comptroller and public advocate, to 450 signatures to run for city council in a local district.
Petitioning in New York for independent bodies like the LP can only be done during a six-week period starting the week after Independence Day (i.e., during middle of the summer when most people are away), Axinn noted. Both the signatory and the witness must be registered voters in New York. Signatures can be invalidated for all sorts of technical errors, such as writing “Brooklyn” instead of “Kings” in the column for the voter’s county, so surmounting all these challenges is a significant accomplishment.
New York City candidates are as follows:
- Michael Sanchez, Mayor
- Hesham El-Meligy, Comptroller
- Alex Merced, Public Advocate
- David Casavis, Manhattan Borough President
- Silas Johnson, Staten Island Borough President
- Helene Jnane, NYC Council, District 4
- David Garland, NYC Council, District 5
- Christopher Giattino, NYC Council, District 8
In addition, the LPNY will have five candidates on the ballot for local legislative seats in Albany, Batavia, and Long Island.
